Yep. It's called small ball and coaches teach it since little league. Why they stop doing it in the bigs is beyond me. The cubs and giants are two teams that do this very well... and combined won 4 WS titles since 2010. Small ball works.

When Segura comes back, Servais should keep Motter in the line up some how. Swap either martin, valencia, dyson, or martin with Motter. Guy can hit. Don't know what positions on defense he can play though...CF?

Crizilla wrote:When Segura comes back, Servais should keep Motter in the line up some how. Swap either martin, valencia, dyson, or martin with Motter. Guy can hit. Don't know what positions on defense he can play though...CF?

I thought he was a utility guy. Played all over in spring ball. Short is his natural position, from what I've heard. He's been pretty solid there while Segs has been out. Learning to work with Cano.

Motter can play almost anywhere. I think he's only a step or so slower than any of our outfielders.

I agree, we have got to find a way to keep Motter in the lineup when Segura comes back. He isn't going to keep this up the entire season, but we need to ride him until he cools off.

Paxton looks great, he needs to stay healthy and take over as the ace. The front of our rotation looks good, but I still worry about the back end with Gallardo and Miranda, and who knows with the bullpen. Great win today, lets get the sweep tomorrow.

Hawk-Lock wrote:I agree, we have got to find a way to keep Motter in the lineup when Segura comes back. He isn't going to keep this up the entire season, but we need to ride him until he cools off.

Paxton looks great, he needs to stay healthy and take over as the ace. The front of our rotation looks good, but I still worry about the back end with Gallardo and Miranda, and who knows with the bullpen. Great win today, lets get the sweep tomorrow.

The BP had seen a bit of overuse until the last two games. Between Felix and Pax, they've gotten some rest. Hopefully that will help.

Hawk-Lock wrote:I agree, we have got to find a way to keep Motter in the lineup when Segura comes back. He isn't going to keep this up the entire season, but we need to ride him until he cools off.

Agreed. I'd love to see Servais be spontaneous and Slide Dyson into CF, put Motter in LF and option Martin to Tacoma (hopefully he's not out of options). Servais made the grave mistake of giving the starting SS job back to Marte last year, after O'Malley thrived as the starter. It was no coincidence the M's went something like 14-3 during that time. O'Malley was/is a clear upgrade offensively and defensively over Marte. That was made Crystal clear when Marte came back. O'malley did everything he could possibly do to keep that job, but Servais was being stubborn. It'll be interesting to see how he handles Martin's situation.

I know it's early, but Mitch Haniger looks like he has he "IT factor".The guy has a good idea what to do at the plate, runs well, and plays great defense.That trade is looking real good for Seattle at the present moment.

Sports Hernia wrote:I know it's early, but Mitch Haniger looks like he has he "IT factor".The guy has a good idea what to do at the plate, runs well, and plays great defense.That trade is looking real good for Seattle at the present moment.

Completely agree. Haniger is so refreshingly aggressive at the plate. He has all the tools and genuinely looks like a star in the making.

I'm really liking this Motter kid too. Can play every position and is really swinging well.

Sports Hernia wrote:I know it's early, but Mitch Haniger looks like he has he "IT factor".The guy has a good idea what to do at the plate, runs well, and plays great defense.That trade is looking real good for Seattle at the present moment.

Completely agree. Haniger is so refreshingly aggressive at the plate. He has all the tools and genuinely looks like a star in the making.

I'm really liking this Motter kid too. Can play every position and is really swinging well.

Lord help me, but I think there's hope for the year!

Aggressive? I guess so, but that walk in the ninth to tie it showed epic patience and maturity. He did that and allowed the big hitters behind him (Cano, Cruz, and Seager) a shot with no outs. Gotta love that. So many young guys would have been flailing away at bad and marginal pitches trying to be the hero, and given up a double play.

Was just about to say the same thing. Haniger is a smart hitter, which means he knows when to be aggressive at the right time. This is what Zunino was suppose to be. The difference between the 2 when Haniger has only been with us for just a few games is incredible. But yeah I wouldn't label Haniger as an "aggressive hitter". Just smart. Already in the same category as Seager, Cano, and Cruz, IMO. The guy will be an All Star eventually.

He was called up mid August last year for ARZ. Is it still possible for him to win ROTY this year...?

Haniger is indeed a very smart hitter who knows to be patient in the right situation but I love his approach to every at-bat where he's not afraid to look for his location first pitch and attack or to let it rip in a 3-1 count. He's aggressive in that sense and always looking to fully extend his arms and drive the ball. Just a fantastic player so far.

I echo the sentiments it looking like we came out on the better end of the trade.

Crizilla wrote:Was just about to say the same thing. Haniger is a smart hitter, which means he knows when to be aggressive at the right time. This is what Zunino was suppose to be. The difference between the 2 when Haniger has only been with us for just a few games is incredible. But yeah I wouldn't label Haniger as an "aggressive hitter". Just smart. Already in the same category as Seager, Cano, and Cruz, IMO. The guy will be an All Star eventually.

He was called up mid August last year for ARZ. Is it still possible for him to win ROTY this year...?

Yes, he is still classified a rookie and can win that award this year.

Kamcussion wrote:When Segura comes back.. there is no way they can sit Motter, absolutely no way.

Completely agree. Motter can play anywhere-have him replace Martin for awhile or even Dyson. Neither of them are hitting worth a damn and Motter's been crushing it.

I'm thinking maybe Valencia better get his ass in gear. Motter could play first, too.

Motter has played his way into the everyday lineup IMHO. He might be that Darin Erstad/Mark McLemore type that will be in the line up everyday but at different positions. At this point I'd have no problems benching Valencia and playing Motter at first though.

Haniger and Motter are playing great so far.I like these type of suprises and both deserve to keep playing every day,The GM has made some good moves despite the ones I get mad about,nobody strikes gold every time.How about those M's?They got my attention again and please keep it up.

Kamcussion wrote:When Segura comes back.. there is no way they can sit Motter, absolutely no way.

Completely agree. Motter can play anywhere-have him replace Martin for awhile or even Dyson. Neither of them are hitting worth a damn and Motter's been crushing it.

I'm thinking maybe Valencia better get his ass in gear. Motter could play first, too.

Motter has played his way into the everyday lineup IMHO. He might be that Darin Erstad/Mark McLemore type that will be in the line up everyday but at different positions. At this point I'd have no problems benching Valencia and playing Motter at first though.

And one thing to note: Motter played all over the field in Spring ball and I don't recall him playing poorly anywhere. He's got that core athleticism and smarts that lets him play anywhere. I sure hope it continues.

Having said that, the positions people have mentioned are places where you expect better offensive production than we've gotten: corner OF, first base, etc. Sure, it's early, but how long do we allow guys to hit below the Mendoza line before we make a move?

I have to agree with what's been said about Motter and Haniger. I've been extremely impressed by both. The 2001 Mariners showed that in Mark McLemore, you can have success in playing a guy basically every day at different positions. I see Motter in very much the same light. Haniger is a guy that (to me) looks like a presence that this lineup hasn't had since Jay Buhner retired. Good defensive RF with good range, strong arm, and a quick powerful bat. Buhner was 6'3" and weighed in around 220 lbs. Haniger is 6'2" and 215 lbs -- so, fairly similar to Buhner in terms of build. Right after the Taijuan Walker deal was made, Jeff Sullivan wrote a compelling piece in which he asked the question, "Was the Jean Segura trade really the Mitch Haniger trade?" At this point in time, Sullivan is looking like he was right. If this team can get its bullpen figured out and stabilized, then I'm really liking the M's chances this year.

Perhaps One key to the bullpen is how the starters do. Take this past weekend. Felix and Pax turn in gems and go deep. So when Kuma laid an egg on Sunday, the bullpen ws rested and managed to keep us in the game til the offense could step up. It all works together.

Kamcussion wrote:When Segura comes back.. there is no way they can sit Motter, absolutely no way.

Completely agree. Motter can play anywhere-have him replace Martin for awhile or even Dyson. Neither of them are hitting worth a damn and Motter's been crushing it.

I'm thinking maybe Valencia better get his ass in gear. Motter could play first, too.

This is what I would like to see happen when Segura is ready to come back. Put Motter at 1st and have Valencia take a seat in the dugout.

Personally, I would give both Martin and Dyson more time to see if they can put it together a little bit and start to contribute more offensively. IMO, Martin is an elite CF and I guess I value that more than most it seems. He also adds needed speed on the bases (I know, I know, it doesn't matter if he never gets on base). Dyson, man, he has elite speed and quickness on the bases. We've already seen what he can do in the very early going. He seems to be able to take a bag at will. If he gets on, he will almost certainly be in scoring position shortly.

So out of the 3 of Valencia, Martin, and Dyson, I feel like Valencia is contributing the least overall right now. However, he has averaged right about a .290 BA for the last 4 years straight, so he probably has the potential to contribute more at the plate than Martin or Dyson if he can regain his form of the last 4 years.

It's a tough call, but I think they have to find a way keep Motter in the lineup.

And the fun part is that O'Malley is only a shade behind Motter in talent, can also play numerous positions and is a switch hitter. He really only got beat out by the numbers game, since we kept 8 in the pen. I expect to see him back up soon, too.

sutz wrote:And the fun part is that O'Malley is only a shade behind Motter in talent, can also play numerous positions and is a switch hitter. He really only got beat out by the numbers game, since we kept 8 in the pen. I expect to see him back up soon, too.

Not even that. He got beat by his appendix (it was appendix right??) he had surgery a few weeks b4 camp ended.

hawkfan68 wrote:Gallardo is horrible...how he even made the team is surprising. He sucked during spring training and has continued it so far this season. Weakest pitcher on team by a mile.

It goes back to us not having a good farm system. Instead of calling up a young guy, we have to settle for a stop gap pitcher. Last year it was Karns and Miley, this year it is Gallardo. I wish we never gave up Elias, Montgomery or even LeBlanc. Once Smyly comes back, we probably won't see much of Gallardo.

hawkfan68 wrote:Gallardo is horrible...how he even made the team is surprising. He sucked during spring training and has continued it so far this season. Weakest pitcher on team by a mile.

It goes back to us not having a good farm system. Instead of calling up a young guy, we have to settle for a stop gap pitcher. Last year it was Karns and Miley, this year it is Gallardo. I wish we never gave up Elias, Montgomery or even LeBlanc. Once Smyly comes back, we probably won't see much of Gallardo.

In order of worst to best, I'd say it's Miley, Karns, Gallardo. And I agree with you about Montgomery and LeBlanc (not so much Elias). Monty could've been a middle to late rotational guy, or even a long relief guy. The jury is still out on Vogelbach. Chicago won that trade.

I feel like DiPoto shuffles just to shuffle. From mid season to the final stretch, the most consistent pitchers last year were LeBlanc and Miranda. They kept putting the team in a position to win with their starts. Neither were particularly flashy, but they were dominant in their own right. It just blows my mind that LeBlanc was DFA'd and DiPoto pretty much had written Miranda off as a rotation pitcher in favor of Gallardo.

Bobblehead wrote:Haniger.. steal of the M's history so far... can't wait to get Segura back.

We got Bone for Ken Phelps

Randy Johnson for Mark Langston, even though Langston was an All-Star he was nowhere near the talent of Randy.

If Haniger surpasses both of those trades I will gladly accept it as the greatest.

Yeah, I have to agree with Joygazm and Sports Hernia here is saying that I DO like the trade thus far ... but believe it's WAYYYYY too early to conclude that.

In terms of trades, I'd have to say that the top 2 in M's history (as of right now) are:

2) Ken Phelps for Jay Buhner ... and

1) Mark Langston and Mike Campbell for Randy Johnson, Gene Harris, and Brian Holman (who started off well and would have been a very quality starter in his own right had drugs not ruined his career).

I agree the early returns on Haniger look great. Let's see if he still looks as dominant the 2nd and 3rd time through the AL -- once the pitchers start to study him, learn where his weak spots are, and how Haniger then adjusts to how they are then pitching to him. If Haniger is still dominating AL pitching 2 years from now ... then YEAH, I'd have to agree with you in saying that this trade right here may be the best in M's history.

Blitzer88 wrote:This Altavilla guy needs to be sent down. Has he ever had a good outing? I mean every outing he struggles and basically allowed the game to get out of hand when he came in.

Both of the relievers tonight need to be sent out on the Tacoma shuttle.

With that being said..... games in Oakland for the Mariners seem to be like the Hawks when they play at the RamsHome stadium, a house of horrors, they can't catch a break and every mistake is magnified.

Blitzer88 wrote:This Altavilla guy needs to be sent down. Has he ever had a good outing? I mean every outing he struggles and basically allowed the game to get out of hand when he came in.

I guess the same can be said for Diaz and his 6.35 ERA over 5 games too. Altavilla hasn't been much better either, but the bullpen in general has been horrible this year. The best arms have been the Scrabble (rpcynzki?) Pazos, and Marshall. I guess Vincent too, which is so surprising. Scribner needs to go, but Altavilla is good. He's just going through I rough stretch